The United States (US) Embassy in Djibouti has reported an incident involving a US military aircraft in the vicinity of Chabelley Airfield.
Chabelley Airfield is the US Air Force’s largest remotely piloted aircraft base in Africa and is known to operate MQ-9 Reaper drones.
Online reports suggest the incident may have involved an MQ-9 Reaper crashing in the area. Unverified footage purporting to show the crash site has also circulated online.
The US Embassy in Djibouti, which is located close to Yemen, said that “initial reports indicate that there have been no casualties or property damage”.
The public was advised to avoid the area and the Embassy confirmed that “US personnel are coordinating closely with Djiboutian authorities to respond to the incident”.
A U.S. Air Force MQ-9A Reaper drone crashed near Chabelley Cemetery in Djibouti on August 9, 2026, shortly after taking off from Chabelley Airfield.
— GAROWE ONLINE (@GaroweOnline) August 9, 2026
The U.S. Embassy in Djibouti issued a safety warning beforehand regarding an aircraft in distress, and officials confirmed no… pic.twitter.com/DTUwhdE1Dm
A few hours before publishing a social media post about the incident, the Embassy issued a security alert.
The alert said that the Embassy was currently “tracking an aircraft in distress in Djiboutian airspace” and said people should avoid the area around Chabelley airbase until further notice.
“The United States Embassy in Djibouti is currently monitoring the situation of an aircraft in distress in Djiboutian airspace,” a spokesperson said at the time.
AeroTime has contacted US Africa Command in Germany for more information related to the incident.